1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to home drinking water filtration equipment, and more particularly to a kit including a filtered water storage container, a replaceable water filtration cartridge and an unfiltered water reservoir having a funnel outlet for receiving the water filtration cartridge therein, the funnel outlet being insertable through a filler opening in the storage container.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The quality of drinking water is found to vary from community to community. While most municipal water treatment plants produce potable water, free of harmful microorganisms, the taste and/or odor quality of the drinking water may leave much to be desired. Also, drinking water from the tap may contain mineral deposits that effect quality and even harmful lead deposits. Equipment is sold today that can be plumbed into the home's water system for filtering out sub-micron particles and removing odor, but such systems tend to be costly. Filtered water may also be purchased at grocery stores and the like, but again, the cost per gallon for such, filtered water is relatively high.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,457 and 4,895,648 to Hankammer, there is described equipment for filtering batches of drinking water and for temporarily storing the filtered water until consumed. The '457 patent specifically describes a pitcher having a handle and pouring spout where the open end of the pitcher is shaped to receive an appropriately shaped funnel whose outlet spout is dimensioned to accept a water filtration cartridge therein. Water deposited into the funnel may slowly percolate through the filter media contained in the cartridge with the filtered water then filling the pitcher. Because the funnel is designed to fit within the confines of the pitcher, it necessarily limits the volume of potable water that can be filtered and stored. That is to say, the funnel and filter take up substantially half of the volume of the pitcher, making it necessary to create batches of filtered water at more frequent intervals than might otherwise be necessary if the entire volume of the pitcher were available to contain the filtered water.
A need therefore exists for a kit that may be used to produce filtered water in reasonable volumes, but which can also be readily stored in a refrigerator without consuming an inordinate amount of refrigerator space and which may be used to readily dispense the filtered water into a drinking glass.